$20 Reformation Dupe

Wednesday, 23 December 2020

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Abercrombie has become one of the places that I shop from the most. I am a 30 year old woman and I can't get ENOUGH. I feel like I am totally fulfilling my teenage dreams, haha. They have really upped their game and their dresses look exactly like Reformation but at a fraction of the price. They are usually around $100 - but their tie-front mini dress that I am wearing is already on clearance, plus an additional 20% off this week - ringing in at around $20! I'm wearing a size S (I am a us 4/6) and it's quite roomy and comfy!


Also, my rings are Cartier and Mejuri and shoes are Cult Gaia ðŸ’•


Happy shopping - it's the perfect dress to ring in an island new year!




 




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15 Stylish & Spooky Etsy Finds Just in Time for Halloween

Tuesday, 20 October 2020

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Trick or treat! Getting into the Halloween spirit doesn't have to mean you have to give up your classy vibe. That's right, no tacky hanging spiders and inflatable pumpkins, here! 


From high-end smore’s kits to glow-in-the-dark ouija boards, I’ve got you covered to fully embrace a spooky season in quarantine this October. Since the coronavirus is still very much a very real life boogeyman, why not cozy up in a Hocus Pocus sweater (my all time favorite Halloween movie) with some crisp apple cider and embark on a creepy, custom murder castle puzzle


Or…. indulge in some relaxation time with a fall scented bath bomb and an apple spiced shea butter soap. All of the above sound pretty dreamy to me, and to be honest, I’m not too sad about staying indoors this spooky  season and snuggling up with my friends, family and the pup!




You can find all of my Halloween finds (and many, many more!) in my Etsy Favorites Halloween List or the above numbered products are linked below!


1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15

 

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Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

Monday, 14 September 2020

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These cookie dough ice cream sandwiches are SO good; the perfect dessert to curl up by the fire with on a fall night. But beware...they are very rich - next time around I will definitely roll out my 'dough' to be a bit thinner and add more ice cream into the mix, or cut the serving sizes to be a touch smaller. But overall, they're such a yummy treat I wanted to share. Read on for the recipe, and I hope you have as much fun making these as I did!

INGREDIENTS
1 c. (2 sticks) melted butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. milk (preferably whole or 2%)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour*
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
3 qt. vanilla ice cream, softened

DIRECTIONS
Line a large baking sheet with Saran Wrap, leaving overhang on sides. In a large bowl, stir together melted butter, both sugars, milk, and vanilla until combined. Stir in flour and salt, then fold in chocolate chips.  Press cookie dough into prepared baking sheet, evening it out as much as possible!


Top with a second piece of parchment and freeze until firm, 1 hour.  Remove cookie dough from pan and place on a cutting board. Slice dough down the center. Scoop ice cream on one half, then gently place other half of cookie dough on top. Transfer back to pan and freeze at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Slice into sandwiches and serve!


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Best Berlin Eats

Monday, 31 August 2020

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Traveling during a pandemic seemed a little daunting at first, but I am so glad I did it! As long as you're responsible with keeping sanitized, wearing your face mask and quarantine/get tested upon your return home, there should be no issues with grabbing a flight and taking some well deserved vacay time for yourself! 

I used to live in Berlin, and have blogged about my favorite places to eat before - but wanted to write a 2020 update and share them with you that reflects this trip! Happy eating!

Ice Cream: Duo

Lunch: Freischwimmer 

      
Sushi: 893 Ryotei


Thai: Pagode


Asian Fusion: Umami

Italian: Vesuvio

Full List:
Asian Fusion: Umami
Breakfast: Factory Girl or Silo Coffee
Brunch: Spindler
Burger: Burgermeister
Drinks: Holzmarkt
German: Huftgold
Israeli: Layla
Italian: Vesuvio
Ice Cream: Duo
Lunch: Freischwimmer (on the water, pretty views!)
Pizza: I Due Forni
Sushi: 893 Ryotei
Thai: Pagode

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Summer in the City

Friday, 10 July 2020

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What a weird summer, am I right? But it’s also been a wonderful summer. Probably one of the best, actually. With everything being closed, I’ve spent more time than ever with the people that mean the most to me. So many beach days, backyard hangouts and super deep conversations.

I never imagined driving around the city for fun. For real, there’s been no traffic in NYC – it’s been magical to roam around this crazy place, music blasting, 90 degrees out – and it’s completely empty. I will never forget this summer.


Add on the craziness of work and trying to keep up with this blog, I almost don’t have any free time left!  But in the free time that I do have… I have done a bunch of online shopping (ha!) and wanted to link to some of my favorite summer outfits that I’ve been wearing in the city lately.

How gorg is the view from my roof in Brooklyn!?

I’m totally addicted to this Beyond Yoga sports bra and have been wearing them as tops with shorts – they are so soft and comfy. I got it in light blue a few months ago but now I really want the grey one! Free People also has a ton of ribbed tanks and I have this one in 4 different colors - it's so comfortable, you don't need to wear a bra under it and I have just lived in it all summer long.


Randomly, Abercrombie has the bessssst summer dresses. I feel like I’m 15 but I am not even embarrassed – their dresses and skirts are so comfy. I legit can’t remember the last time I wore pants.


And I’m still obsessed with Triangl for all my bathing suits (like the green one at the top of this post), AND Miss Selfridge also has super cute floral dresses, like this one I'm wearing below!


Anyways… this blog will hopefully go back to being a travel-ish blog soon!

Next stop Canada… and then… Berlin!

Wie kann ich sonst mein Deutsch üben?

Tschüssi.
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My Favorite One Piece

Tuesday, 23 June 2020

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Hello from Florida! Today on the blog I wanted to share my new favorite swimsuit from Triangle. It's currently sold out in the gold color, but they just released a pretty shimmery blue shade that I feel like I have to buy too. If you are dead-set on the gold, they have a similar style here with two straps.


I've also done some digging and have found a inexpensive dupe for this suit at $15 - it's black but a similar cut!

Happy Shopping!



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Key Lime Pie

Thursday, 21 May 2020

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This has officially become a baking blog - lol. Happy 76th day of quarantine. Sorry to anyone who was expecting a travel post this month, it's just not happening once again! What is happening, though, is that I've formed an addiction to browsing TikTok for recipes and baking videos. So this time around, I've decided to upload this recipe via video.

To find out how I made this key lime pie in under 30 minutes, head over to the my video recipe on TikTok!
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Boozy Whipped Coffee

Saturday, 25 April 2020

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Today officially marks day 50 of quarantine. We've made TikTok dance routines, painted bird houses, played way too much scrabble, and finally, we bit the bullet and participated in the latest quarantine trend: whipped coffee. 

This coffee took all of 5 minutes to make so I wanted to link out the recipe below. We added Bailey's but that part is, of course, optional.

To get started you will need instant coffee, sugar and hot water (close to boiling) - 2 tbsp of each!

Using a hand whisk, electric hand mixer, or a stand mixer, whip the mixture for around 5 minutes or until the mixture is stiff (think whipped cream) and has reached a pale caramel color. Be patient with this step because at first, it may seem like it will never come together but it will magically pull through.  

Set up a glass with ice and pour a shot of Bailey's in it! Then also add some milk! After the coffee has reached the perfect whipped consistency, scoop 1-2 tablespoons on top of your icey Bailey's-milk mixture.  The coffee mixture will be strong but remember it will be diluted with the milk! Use less milk for a strong flavor and more milk for a light flavor. Feel free to add sugar as needed and serve.

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Berry Apple Pie

Thursday, 16 April 2020

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I feel like this is becoming a baking blog (LOL - what else can I do during quarantine!?), but I wanted to share a super easy strawberry, apple and raspberry pie recipe with you. This was my first time ever making pie and it was a breeze - I will definitely make it again for my family! The best thing about this is that you can mix up the fruits dependent on what you have in the house. Next time I'd love to make this with peaches. When it comes time to serve, it taste great with a scoop of ice cream or a bit of whipped cream. Happy baking!

Ingredients:

Pie Crust 
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks), very cold
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup ice cold water

Raspberry-Strawberry-Apple Filling 
2 apples
1 quart strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 basket raspberries
1/4 cup cornstarch/flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 lemon, juiced

For the crust: add the flour, sugar, and salt to a food processor and mix to combine. Then add the cold butter in pieces (cut each stick into about 5 slices), and pulse until the mixture is crumbly with pea-sized lumps. Drizzle the ice cold water in slowly as the processor is running -- stop when the dough starts to come together in a ball. You may only need 1/3 cup of water, add more as needed.

Turn the dough out onto a surface and gently push it together into 2 flattened discs. Cover each disc with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

Slice your apples. Add the sliced apples, strawberries, raspberries, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch to a medium bowl and mix gently to combine. **You can use cornstarch or flour or a combination to thicken the filling. I like using 90% cornstarch and 10% flour to make 1/4 cup.**

Preheat the oven to 375.

Roll out the two discs of your pie crust separately on a floured surface until about 1/4 inch thick. (But seriously, REALLY flour your counter! Pie dough is sticky business.) Transfer the first rolled out piece to your pie pan.

Fill the crust with your fruit filling and any juice. If your fruit happened to be extra ripe and very juicy, add a little extra flour to the filling, or just leave some of the juice out. Also you can always reserve the juice, boil it down in a small saucepan, and then add it to the filling so it is less liquid-y and more concentrated.


Now using a knife or a pizza cutter, slice your second rolled-out disc of crust into long strips, and lay them across your pie in a lattice pattern. Trim the excess edge crust and crimp it along the outside with your fingers, a fork, or a spoon.

Brush the top of your pie with a pastry brush dipped in egg white, then bake it for around 40-50 minutes (the top should be golden brown and the fruit should be bubbling).

Whip up some heavy whipping cream and a touch of vanilla and put a dollop on top and serve! 





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Mother's Day Cards

Saturday, 11 April 2020

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Now, more than ever, small businesses need our support. Since we're all staying indoors for the coming month, I decided to order my Mother's Day card off Etsy well in advance this year.

Head over to my Mother's Day Etsy Favorites page to check out 25 of my favorite Mother's Day cards. All are from sellers either in Canada or the US (where most of my readers are located!), so shipping should be a breeze if you shop local.

Together, let’s #standwithsmall.
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Milk Bar Crack Pie

Monday, 6 April 2020

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Everyone seems to be baking during quarantine - myself included! There's a Milk Bar really close to my apartment in Williamsburg, but since it's closed down due to COVID, here I am trying to recreate this delicious treat at home. This rich, salty-sweet pie recipe has an irresistible oat cookie crust - and it turned out pretty similar to the real deal. Check out the recipe below; stay safe and happy baking!

Ingredients:

Oat Cookie Crust  
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter room temperature,
5 1/2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar,
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt

Filling  
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder (or milk!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butte rmelted, cooled slightly
6 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Recipe Prep:

Oat Cookie Crust
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper; coat with nonstick spray.
Combine 6 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat until pale and fluffy. Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Turn oat mixture out onto prepared baking pan; press out evenly to edges of pan. Bake until light golden on top, 17 to 18 minutes.
Transfer baking pan to rack and cool cookie completely.  Using hands, crumble oat cookie into large bowl; add 3 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar. Rub in with fingertips until mixture is moist enough to stick together. Transfer cookie crust mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Using fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish. Place pie dish with crust on rimmed baking sheet.

Filling  
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Whisk both sugars, milk powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add melted butter and whisk until blended. Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour filling into crust. 


Bake pie 30 minutes (filling may begin to bubble). Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to bake pie until filling is brown in spots and set around edges but center still moves slightly when pie dish is gently shaken, about 20 minutes longer. Cool pie 2 hours in pie dish on rack. Chill uncovered overnight.  

**Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep chilled. Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into wedges and serve cold.
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Quarantine Routine

Wednesday, 25 March 2020

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As we enter week three of working from home, I wanted to share some tips and tricks on how I've transitioned to #remotelife and social distancing. I know everyone is in the same boat, but these are the little things that have helped me survive! I don't know how long we'll be in this but I am sure there is light at the end of the tunnel, and everyday personally gets a little bit easier for me.

1. Get up early!
We don't start until 10, but I really try to wake up that extra bit early every morning to get a workout or virtual coffee hang in. One of my best friends has been hosting workout classes for us to join via Google Hangouts, and our team at work has put in 30 minute daily optional coffee hangs, where we discuss life, movies... anything NOT covid related. I swear this helps so much!

2. If you're in the mood to shop online, support small businesses
... and I'm not just saying this because I work for Etsy. Now is more important than ever to shop small! If you're looking for a Mother's Day gift, my last purchase was a gold necklace (not for Mother's Day, but for a friend!) from NovaRoma and the quality is so good!

3. Take the dog for a walk
Or if you don't have pets, just go for a walk. It keeps me sane and I am more motivated when I come back to my laptop.


4. Use technology to stay connected
Zoom, Slack, Google Hangouts.... these are all SO important when it comes to feeling connected as a team, but also with friends. Don't forget to have virtual wine nights with the girls or download Houseparty to play games like cards against humanity and trivia over video.

5. Do fun, indoor activities
Puzzling, making a TikTok, learning a new recipe... there's still a ton of things you can do indoors. You can bake the same recipe with friends on Facetime, or even watch a movie at the same time via Netflix Party.

6. Don't forget to call Grandma

7. Only eat during designated work breaks
I found myself snacking away all day and since I've put this new plan in place, I am feeling a lot more energized and not as sluggish.

8. Wear real pants
I'm not kidding, I'm about 500x more productive when I am wearing jeans and not leggings. This might just be me but it seems to work.

9.  Try something new
Read the murder mystery that's been gathering dust on your shelf, pick up running outdoors or brush up on a language - German grammar has always been a personal struggle of mine, so maybe I'll finally nail it! The current market crash could also be an opportunity for first-time stock investors – so research those stock picks and download Robinhood.

10. Embrace the Coronavirus happy hour
Seriously, pour that glass of Malbec. You rocked social distancing; you deserve it.
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Brooklyn Bedroom Tour

Sunday, 16 February 2020

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Welcome to my bedroom makeover! I was on a really strict budget when it came to redecorating my room. My style is pretty contemporary mixed with a little bit of a tropical vibe - which you can see in the plants, jute accents, etc. I managed to keep this entire room under a $1,000 - which I think is pretty good, considering I purchased a bed frame, mattress, dresser, pillows, accessories, plants and more.



My favourite piece in my room is my dresser, which I got from Wayfair. It's currently on sale for $220. It looks so much more expensive than it is and I absolutely love it. I also snagged this trendy platform bed (similar here) from Amazon for under $150, and the mattress from All Modern for $240 (on sale down from $1k). I have slept on really expensive mattresses in the past and this one is hands down my favourite. The rug is from Ikea!



I'm very happy that I've managed to keep my plant baby alive, and he lives in this cute, little wicker basket. The other flower pots in the room are from HomeGoods and William Sonoma


The twinkle lights and accent pillows are from Indigo, and the bedsheets are also a steal at $85 from Wayfair. The Ubud print above my bed (which used to hang in my old living room) is from Society6 and lucky you - it's also 40% off right now!


The hurricane candle is from West Elm, and the other ones are Diptique. All of the other bedroom accents were either gifted to me (thanks little bro for your old TV) or I owned them before!



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Valentine's Day Roundup

Wednesday, 29 January 2020

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Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and what better time than to share my 2020 roundup with you this year! From personalized jewellery to funny and heartfelt cards, I've put together a list of my Etsy Favourites. Whether you are celebrating Valentine's Day or Galentine's Day, I got you covered.
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